Laying gear



May 13 1 924. 1,493,628

E. HAGENBUCHER.

LAYING GEAR Filed Jan. 3, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 13 E. HAGENBUCHER LAYING GEAR Filed Jan. 3. 1921 '2 heath-Sheet.

Patented May 1%, W24.

iAbLtZS EUGEN HAGENB'UCHER, 0F ESSEN, GER-MANY, ASSIGNOR T0 FRIED. KRUPP AKTIELL GESELLSCHAFT, 0F ESSEN-OIWTI-IE EUHR, GERMANY.

LAYING GEAR.

Application filed January 3, 1921. Serial No. 434,608.

(GRANTED Unnnn THE rnovrsrons on THE m or iirAncn 3, 1921, 4.1 srar. n, 1312.

To all whom it may cancer Be it known that l, Encnn Haonnnucnnn, residing at Essen, Germany, a citizen of the German Republic, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Laying Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to laying gear, in particular for ordnance, in the case oi which a hydraulic driving mechanism is provided for the part to be pointed; the starting member of the said driving mechanism ap pertaining to a driving gear adapted to etlect a return of the said starting member into its inoperative position in the course of the laying motion carried out by the hydraulic driving mechanism. More particularly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a form of construction for laying gear of this kind which will warrant a particularly exact laying opera tion. 7

An embodiment of the subject matter of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in whicl Fig. l is a d'igrammatical elevation of a hydraulic elevating mechanism for ordnance.

Fig. 2 is a larg scale in detail ot Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line -3 of 2, lookin from the left. and,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along line l4lof Fig. 3, looking from above.

Referring: to this drawing, the gun barrel A is guided in the customary manner in a cradle A which is lodged to rotate within the carriage B by means of two horizontal trunnions (4 For the purpose of elevating the. gun barrel A, there is provided a hydraulic driving mechanism, comprising a cylinder B? secured to the carriage B and enclosing a piston lV having a piston rod connected to an arm a of the cradle A and two slide valves C and D serving, when in the position illustrated, to shut oil the cylinder B with respect to the delivery piping, not shown. The arrangement of the slide valves C and D is such that they will be opened when moved in the direction indicated by the arrows a; and 1 respectively, whereas when moved in the contrary sense out of the position illustrated, they keep shutting off the cylinder B from the deliverypiping. The arrangement devised is such that when the slide valve C is opened the breech end of the gun barrel A will be lowered, whereas when the slide valve D is opened, it will be elevated. Each of the slide valves C and D is articulated by means of a rod E, F, respectively, pivotedthereto, with a bell-crank lever G or H respecby the arrowsa 1 respectively, is secured.

to the end of the longer arm of the bell crank levers G, H, respectively, while to the shorter arm thereof there is mounted a roller M, l\, respectively, bearing up under the impulse exerted by the springs J, h, respectively, against a bevel surface 70 7), respectively, of a rod P. The surfaces 71 and 72 are disposed so as to converge and are limited by vertically disposed receding surface n of the rod P. This latter is adapted to be vertically displaced" on the carriage B and is pivotally connected by means of an intern'iediate rod 7) to a toothed are Q loosely mounted to rotate on the horizontal trunnion a? visible inthe drawing- The toothed arc Q. is positively connected to the armature shaft 7' of an electromotor mounted on the cradle A said connectionbeing effected in the manner illustrated, by intervention of a selfloclzing; worm gear. In addition, there is arranged on the cradle A in a casing (i mounted thereon, the receiver motor T, (Figs. 3 and oi? an electric long-distance control device. This receiver motor is adapted to be adjusted by a transmitter located at the commanding station to the particular elevation to be imparted to the gun barrel. In the casing a closed on the front side by a cover plate a there is arranged a rotatable shaft S, which carries a lai spur wheel S rigidly connected thereto and engaging a small spur wheel L which is rotatably mounted on the cradle A out of the casing 02 and engages the toothed arc Q. The shaft U (Fig. 4) of the receiver motor T is coupled to a worm U rotatable in the casing a and engaging a worm wheel V mounted on the shaft S to rotate relatively thereto. The hub of the worm wheel V carries a pointer o rigidly connected thereto which lies out of the casing a over the front face of the cover plate a. and may register the elevation which is to be imparted to the gun barrel on a range scale 01 arranged on the cover plate a The shaft S extends on its one end beyond the front face of the pointer o and carries on this end a pointer 3 having a mark .9 (Fig. 2), which is in alignment with a mark o of the pointer 12 when the pointer s has been adjusted by the electro-motor R and the train of gearing r Q, L, S S connected thereto to cover the pointer v The motor R, which may be started independently of the long-distance control device. will be automatically brought to a stop in a well known manner as soon as the mark 8 of the pointer s is come into alignment with the mark 1: of the pointer v1 The manner of operation of the device is as follows:

lVhen the breech end of the gun barrel A. is to be lowered for an amount corresponding to the position assumed by the object to be fired at, then the receiver motor T is adjusted from the transmitter, located at the commanding station, to the corresponding degree of elevation required which is indicated by the pointer 22 on the scale a. Upon this, the electromotor R is started. and in such a direction that a rotation of the armature shaft T will provoke a rotation of the toothed arc Q around the horizontal trunnion a in the direction indicated by the arrow .2' and therewith a displacement in the upward direction of the rod P. In the course of this displacement, the rollers hit and N run along the bevelled surfaces and 7%. The slide valve I) being at the same time moved in a direction counter to that indicated by the arrow y, this valve consequently remains closed, while the slide valve C is moved in the course of this operation in the sense denoted by the arrow m and. consequently is now opened; the full opening of this slide valve taking place the instant the roller M has passed from the bevel surface 72 on to the vertical surface 79 which will happen in a very brief space of time. After the slide valve C has been opened, the breech end of the gun barrel is lowered by the driving mechanism and the gun barrel consequently elevated. Now owing to the connection existing, as previously set forth, be tween the gun barrel A and the rod P. the aforesaid movement affects the movement of the rod P: and would result in the rod P being moved downward if the motor R were not running. The actual motion, however, carried out by the rod P is due to the difference in the displacement the rod P is subjected to by the rotation of the arn'iature shaft r on the one hand, and by the lowering of the breech end on the other. In this connection, the speed conditions are preferably so chosen that the influence exerted by the motor will prevail, in other words, that the rod P will be raised as long as the motor R is running. As a result, the roller M remains in contact with the surface 79 so that the slide valve C while being now completely open will remain for the present in a state of rest. As soon as the motor R has rotated for an extent corresponding to the elevation to which the pointer 42 has been adjusted, by the receiver motor T, the mark 8 of the pointer s is come into alignment with the mark c of the pointer o and in consequence thereof the motor R is automatically brought to a stop. From this instant onward, the

rod P begins to move dowmvard. In so doing, finally the roller M rolls back on to the bevel surface p Then the slide valve C is moved counter to the direction indicated by the arrow .2? by intervention of the bell-crank lever G, so that it comes to be closed the moment the roller M has again taken up the position disclosed in the drawing. At this moment the driving mechanism stops working and the gun barrel A has obtained the elevation desired seeing that the arm Q, to

which the motor R has imparted an angular position, with regard to the gun barrel and corresponding to this elevation. will again assun'le its original position with respect to the carriage.

Again if, say for example, for the purpose of loading, the breech end of the gun barrel is to be raised. then the motor R is started in the counter direction to that previously explained. As a result, the rod P is moved downward and the slide valve D is opened, while now the slide valve C remains closed. The slide valve D opening, the breech end begins to move upward, in consequence of which the speed of the downward motion of the rod P comes to be lessened. On the breech end having almost attained the position desired. the motor R is brought to a standstill. However, as the breech end for the present continues its upward movement, the rod P is now also raised, and as soon as it has attained its original position in height, the slide valve D again shuts down and the gun barrel comes to a stop.

As will be readily understood from the foregoing description, the rod P forming the starting member of the hydraulic driving mechanism appertains to a driving gear (P), A A Q, 72*, P) which adapted to bring about a return of said starting nien'iber into its initial, inoperative position during the laying motion imparted to the gun barrel by the driving mechanism. Moreover, by reason of the fact that, in contradistinction to the known devices, two movable parts (A. A and Q) of the driving gear serving to pro voke the return operation are adapted, in accordance with the present invention, to be adjusted relatively to each other and in correspondence with the elevation required, there is attained a considerable simplification of the driving gear and therewith a corresponding reduction of the sources of errors, so that by means of the described device a particularly exact laying of the gun barrel is obtained.

Claims.

1. A hydraulic laying gear for ordnance comprising a gun carriage, a gun barrel mounted for rotation upon said carriage, a hydraulic driving mechanism for elevating the gun barrel having a starting member causing said hydraulic driving mechanism to function after being moved fromits inoperative position to an operative position, a gun part adapted to turn in unison with the gun barrel, a movable member adapted to turn about the same aXis as said gun part independently thereof, means for adjusting said movable member for range, and means positively connecting said starting member to said adjustable movable member for returning the starting member into its inoperative position when the gun barrel is elevated by said hydraulic driving mechanism.

2. A hydraulic laying gear for ordnance comprising a gun carriage, a gun barrel mounted for rotation upon trunnions supported by said carriage, a movable member loosely mounted upon one of said trunnions and adjustable relatively to said gun barrel, means mounted upon said carriage and connected to said movable member for controlling a hydraulic driving mechanism and means mounted to move with said gun barrel for adjusting said movable member with respect to said gun barrel corresponding to the desired elevation to be given to the gun barrel.

3. A hydraulic laying gear for ordnance comprising a gun carriage, a gun barrel provided with trunnions and mounted for rotation within said carriage, a movable member supported by one of said trunnions and adjustable relatively to said gun barrel, means mounted upon said carriage for controlling a hydraulic driving mechanism, said control means embodying a starting member, means connecting said starting member to said movable member mounted upon said trunnion, means mounted to move with said gun barrel and engaging said movable member for adjusting it with respect to said gun barrel corresponding to the desired elevation to be given to the gun barrel, whereby said starting member will be first moved to cause said control means to function, the

movement of said gun barrel as it assumes its position of elevation, returning said starting member to its inoperative position.

4-. A laying gear for ordnance embodying a hydraulic driving mechanism comprising a gun carriage, a gun barrel provided with a pair of horizontal trunnions and rotatably supported within said carriage, an arm loosely mounted upon one ofsaid trunnions and independent of said gun barrel, said arm being adjustable relatively to the gun barrel to positions corresponding to the elevation to be given to the latter, valve mechanism secured to the carriage for controlling a hydraulic lifting mechanism, said valve mechanism embodying a slidable starting rod, means connecting said movable arm to said slide rod whereby a movement of said arm causes a corresponding displacement of said slide rod, means movable with said gun barrel for adjusting said movable arm to a position corresponding to the elevation to be imparted to the gun barrel, the connection between said gun barrel, and said slide rod being such that when said gun barrel reaches its position of elevation, said slide rod is returned to its inoperative position.

A laying gear for ordnance for use in combination with a hydraulic driving mechanism comprising a gun carriage, a gun barrel, horizontal trunnions rotatably sup porting said gun barrel upon said carriage a member mounted upon one of said trunnions and adjustable relatively to said gun barrel. means mounted upon said carriage for controlling a hydraulic driving mechanism, means connecting said movable member to said hydraulic controlling means and means movable with said gun barrel. for adjusting said. movable member with respect to said gun barrel, to a position corresponding to the desired elevation to be given to said gun barrel whereby an adjustment of said movable member causes said controlling means to function, permitting said hydraulic driving mechanism to elevate the gun barrel, the connection. between said gun barrel and the movable member being such that said control means is moved to its inoperative position as the gun barrel reaches the desired elevation.

The foregoing specification signed at Essen. Germany, this 29th day of October, 1920.

EUGEN HAGENBUCHER.

In presence of- Hans Gor'rsMANN, JoHANN DECKERS. 

